Wait... what had that guard said earlier when he rushed into the Queen’s room while I was there with Yua? Something about that elf situation felt wrong from the start. The captured elf was probably never the real threat. It had all been too easy, too convenient. That guard’s instincts had been right all along.

If only this idiot Queen had listened.

"Don’t kill me," I said while raising both hands slightly. "I’m not even supposed to be here."

"Shut up," the lean assassin spat while walking toward me. "Fucking human."

"Shit..."

He attacked immediately after that.

Two blades suddenly appeared above his shoulders the moment he flicked his wrists. They floated unnaturally through the air, controlled by magic instead of his hands. The first blade shot toward my face, forcing me to dodge sideways. The second came right after it. I raised my wooden dagger on instinct, but the floating blade smashed straight through the practice weapon and broke it apart instantly.

The blade kept moving and plunged itself deep into my shoulder.

Pain exploded through my arm so hard that my vision blurred for a second.

Before I could even recover, the second elf rushed in from the side and drove a kick straight into my stomach. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs completely. He followed it with a slash toward my throat. I twisted my body backward just enough to avoid the dagger, but he immediately stepped forward again and punched me directly in the face.

I tried moving away from the strike, but his fist collided with the broken weapon still lodged in my shoulder.

The hilt snapped apart and forced the blade deeper into the wound. I cried out in pain and stumbled backward several steps before collapsing onto the dirt arena floor.

"No one leaves!" a voice roared from outside the barrier.

I forced myself to look up.

Several guards fell down from the rooftops... they were dead. Right after them, more figures appeared above the academy buildings.

Elves.

At least a dozen of them stood on the rooftops now, all dressed in dark combat gear while looking down at the chaos below. Behind them, the entrance leading back into the academy suddenly sealed shut as stone erupted upward from the ground itself. The earth twisted unnaturally and formed a massive wall over the doorway. It looked almost identical to the spell Null had used during his fight against Eselin earlier.

"Protect the Queen!" Thornhawk barked while struggling to stand. One hand pressed tightly against the wound in his side. "Fuck..."

For a second I genuinely wondered if he was talking to me.

How the hell was I supposed to protect anyone against invisible assassins with magic weapons and an entire squad waiting on rooftops? My mana was almost empty already, and blood kept dripping down my arm onto the dirt. I could practically feel my health dropping every second from the bleeding.

The two assassins attacked together this time.

One rushed from my right while the other circled toward my left. I backed away instinctively until my shoulders hit the golden barrier behind me.

Queen Mia was still nearby, one knee against the ground while clutching the wound in her side. Blood had soaked through part of her crimson dress already.

But she did not look scared.

She looked furious.

"ELVES!" she snarled while glaring at them with pure hatred. "If I die today, then I will die with honor!"

"Crap..." I muttered.

The Queen suddenly thrust both hands forward.

Roots exploded upward from the arena floor instantly.

They wrapped tightly around both assassins’ legs before either of them could dodge. Seeing the opening, I forced myself back onto my feet and rushed toward them. I had no weapon left and almost no mana remaining, so I simply threw a punch at the lean assassin’s face.

My fist connected hard enough to snap his head sideways.

I tried swinging again, but he ducked under the second punch and slashed upward with his dagger. I stumbled backward before the blade could cut into my stomach. He tore one leg free from the roots and immediately lowered himself into another fighting stance.

But the Queen was not done yet.

She snapped her fingers sharply.

The roots wrapped around the second assassin suddenly grew long black thorns. The spikes pierced straight through his leg and burst out from the other side. He screamed and collapsed onto one knee while clutching the wound.

Then I suddenly remembered something.

My inventory.

The swords.

The crude swords I stole from the camp were still there.

I rushed toward the injured elf and immediately opened the inventory through the system. The moment I focused on one of the swords, golden light shimmered into existence in my hand. My fingers instinctively tightened around the grip as the weapon fully materialized.

I reached the elf in two more steps and swung immediately.

The blade slammed directly into his neck and buried itself halfway through.

The assassin choked violently as blood poured from his mouth.

I planted my foot against his stomach and yanked the sword free. Blood splattered across my face and chest as the elf collapsed lifelessly onto the dirt.

╔══════════════════╗

> ENEMY SLAIN

╠══════════════════╣

> +31 EXP

╚══════════════════╝

"No!" the remaining assassin shouted. "No, no, no!"

I dropped the sword immediately afterward and grabbed my bleeding shoulder. That single attack had taken far more out of me than I expected. My body felt weak and heavy already.

The remaining elf suddenly ignored me altogether and rushed directly toward Queen Mia instead.

Outside the barrier, Thornhawk slammed both fists against the golden wall repeatedly.

"Help her!"

"Agh..."

"BE A MAN, WALKER! HELP HER!"

"This isn’t even my fight..."

My legs finally gave out beneath me again.

I collapsed onto the dirt while staring weakly upward at the sky beyond the barrier. Sweat rolled down my forehead and mixed with the elf’s blood covering my face. The metallic smell filled my nose immediately, and the sensation dragged memories back into my head that I never wanted to think about again.

The remaining elf shouted while charging toward the Queen. "Everyone will watch this racist, unhinged bitch die!"

"ACE!" Thornhawk roared desperately from outside the barrier. "Protect her!"

Fuck him.

Fuck her.

I stayed on the ground while exhaustion consumed what little strength I had left. The adrenaline rushing through my body earlier had started fading, and the pain returned with full force because of it. My shoulder burned horribly, my ribs hurt, and every breath felt heavier than the last.

Then a scream echoed across the arena.

"NO! YOUR MAJESTY!"

I put one elbow against the ground and forced myself to look up.

I wasn’t in the arena anymore.

I was home.

I stood in the middle of our living room while my mother knelt in the corner, both hands tangled in her own hair as she rocked back and forth violently. Blood ran from my nose, dripping onto the carpet beneath me, and my index finger bent backward at an angle that fingers were never supposed to bend.

"Mommy?" I asked weakly as I walked toward her. "Mommy?"

"Doppelganger..." she muttered under her breath. "No... no, not my son..."

She suddenly turned and grabbed both my shoulders so hard it hurt. I immediately started crying. I was terrified of her. Terrified of what she had already done to me.

"I SAW IT!" she screamed into my face. "I SAW IT! GIVE MY SON BACK! GIVE HIM BACK!"

"MOMMY, STOP! YOU’RE SCARING ME!"

"DON’T CALL ME MOMMY!"

"NO!"

Her hands wrapped around my throat.

She shoved me onto my back and climbed on top of me, pinning me down with her weight. Air stopped reaching my lungs. My body hurt everywhere already, and I was too small to push her off. I was only eight. Maybe nine.

She screamed again, completely hysterical, then leaned down and bit into my cheek hard enough to tear skin. Pain exploded across my face. I thrashed beneath her, trying desperately to escape, but she was stronger.

Her grip tightened around my throat. Darkness crept into the edges of my vision. Then she pulled one hand back and punched me across the face.

"ACE!"

I jolted awake with a gasp and nearly choked on my own breath. The arena returned around me instantly. The Queen was still fighting.

She had dropped to one knee, one arm raised defensively while the elf pressed a dagger through her palm. The tip of the blade stopped barely short of her eye.

"Fuck... fuck..." I muttered while dragging myself upright. "God... this hurts..."

I checked my mana. Thirty. That was all I had left. Whatever spell I used next needed to end this immediately.

I switched classes again and changed into Rogue. The system shifted before my eyes as new abilities appeared in front of me.

Dead Lantern. Mirror Knife. Shadow Leap.

Just like before, instinctive understanding flooded my mind the moment I saw the abilities. I somehow knew exactly how they worked.

I grabbed the crude sword lying nearby and stretched one hand toward the Queen and the elf.

Dark smoke spread through the air ahead of me, visible only to my eyes, marking the distance Shadow Leap could travel. Once I confirmed the range, I clenched my fist and yanked back as if I was pulling a rope or something.

My body dissolved instantly. I turned into black smoke completely and shot across the arena floor in a blur. Then I reappeared directly beside the elf.

╔═══════════════╗

> Shadow Leap Cast: -17MP

────────────────

Cooldown: 1 seconds

╚═══════════════╝

"S-Shadow Leap?" one of the students shouted from outside the barrier.

I swung the crude sword with everything I had left.

Pain exploded through my shoulder so violently that my knees nearly gave out again, but the attack connected cleanly.

The elf screamed.